


The Summoning

by sekiharatae



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: AU, F/M, Romance, Smut, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-11-07
Updated: 2009-11-07
Packaged: 2017-10-12 11:47:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/124507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sekiharatae/pseuds/sekiharatae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Misao is playing matchmaker between Kenshin and Kaoru, and involving the supernatural to do it. After all, the two have never even met!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Plots and Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Another AU. I blame this one on both JaneDrew and Ravyn.

Misao eyed the pentacle to make sure each angle and rune was perfect, the outer circle true to shape. This was for Kaoru - her best friend, her sister - and was far too important to handle with her usual flippant attitude.

Although Kaoru liked to pretend she was tough, Misao knew better: the older girl was strong, but not unbreakable, and inside she was soft and tender-hearted. The last few years had been especially hard on her, what with the loss of her parents, and then that bastard Enishi doing his best to rip her self esteem to shreds. So if anyone needed a little TLC – particularly heavy on the love – it was Kaoru.

Which is why she'd decided to see if Kaoru had a soul mate. Someone who would love her and support her unconditionally. A white knight of her very own. Misao was also honest enough to admit that the desire to see someone give Enishi a little payback was another strong motivator.

Her initial findings had been overwhelmingly positive. Every sign and test she knew – or could find – indicated that Kaoru had a soul mate, and that the bond between them was strong. That was the good news. The bad news was that someone or something seemed to be interfering with it... or had in the past, and the damage had never been corrected.

A soul bond was supposed to resonate and bring a couple together. Those who knew how to listen could use it like a radio, staying in touch over long distances. It let each partner feel when the other was especially happy or sad or distressed. As such, Kaoru's bonded should be reacting like a man whose phone wouldn't quit ringing: jumpy and eager to make it stop. Instead, the bond was vibrating like a plucked guitar string, and neither Kaoru nor the man on the other end seemed at all aware.

Even if it had nothing to do with someone she cared about, Misao would be hard pressed to ignore something so blatantly _wrong_. So she'd delved deeper, and discovered a few even more surprising facts. The most important of which was that Kaoru's soul mate wasn't human. She wasn't certain _what_ he was, but he didn't reside on the same plane as they. Which meant she could – temporarily – summon him here and try to get some answers.

Hence the pentacle.

Dusting chalk from her hands, Misao drew a deep breath and began the truly hard part. A summoning took a lot of energy, even for an experienced medium; a novice like Misao would be out for days. Still, if this worked, it would be well worth it.

And it was definitely working.

Although she hadn't had any expectations, the figure that formed and solidified in the center of the pentacle was still a surprise. He stood straight and proud, if only a few inches taller than Kaoru. A dark blue kimono and gray hakama alternately shadowed and outlined a muscular form, and both a katana and wakizashi were thrust through the ties at his waist. Long, bright red hair was bound into a high ponytail, and eyes the color of topaz glared out of well-defined, handsome features. His only flaw was a raw and angry cross-shaped mark on one cheek. Even so, he was stunning, his presence charging the air in the room, even from behind the confines of the runed circle.

Given his samurai appearance, Misao at first thought he might be a ghost. It would explain why he was ignoring the bond, but also introduced the bigger question of how Kaoru could possibly be soul mate to a man dead for two hundred years. Before her mind had a chance to wander off on that tangent she shook her head, and decided he looked far too solid to be a ghost.

So what was he?

"Why have you called me here?" One hand resting on the hilt of his katana, he faced her squarely, his tone one of strained patience and leashed threat.

"Don't try to intimidate me, mister," Misao returned, hands on her hips, confident that her carefully chosen runes would keep her safe. "I wouldn't have had to 'call' you if you were paying attention like you're supposed to!"

Amber eyes widened slightly in surprise, and chiseled lips curved with grudging amusement as he tilted his head to the side and surveyed her from head to toe. His manner proclaimed louder than words that he respected her refusal to be frightened, even as he found the situation ridiculous and unwelcome. "What, pray tell, requires my attention?"

Not liking his vaguely mocking manner in the least, Misao blurted her answer: "The soul bond you share with my best friend!"

His stance changed immediately, eyes narrowing to angry slits as the hand not curled around his sword pressed against the invisible wall of his prison, showering the floor with golden sparks. "I don't know what Tomoe has told you, little medium, but she is not my soul mate. You will release me _now_."

Misao could only blink at him. "Who the hell is Tomoe? I'm talking about Kaoru!"

Once again his eyes widened in surprise, and then ever-so-slowly he relaxed, fingers shifting to touch the scar on his cheek. "I think," he said, his tone open for the first time, "that we both have questions to be answered."

So they sat on the hard, cold floor, and talked. Misao explained what little she knew, while he closed his eyes and listened, his expression thoughtful. Then it was his turn, and he told his story using the absolute minimum number of words he could.

"Tomoe is the reason the bond between your friend and I is not functioning... properly. She is a mage of some skill, and found a way to... 'hijack,' I believe is how she put it... the bond."

Misao frowned. "You mean she somehow fooled you or the bond or both into treating her as your soul mate," she clarified.

He returned a single, pained nod. "And her brother Enishi as the mate to – I assume – your friend Kaoru."

"Wait a minute!" Misao surged to her feet, moving forward to toe the line separating them, hands clenched into fists. "That bastard Enishi was involved, too?"

The eyebrow he arched was wry. "I believe the entire scheme was his idea. I gather you've met?"

Her normally friendly features were twisted into a mask of hate. "He almost broke Kaoru." Simple, direct, she all but spat out the explanation.

"Hmmm..." his golden eyes were thoughtful, and tinged with something Misao couldn't read. "In any event, I grew suspicious when Tomoe did not respond to my particular... skills." The emphasis he used fairly screamed that the subject of his 'skills' would need to be revisited, but she let it pass unremarked for the moment. "I began taking greater care to observe her movements, and eventually learned the truth." One hand slid along the sheathed katana he held in his lap, while the other traced the mark on his cheek. "My solution to the problem was less than perfect, but granted me my freedom, nevertheless."

Misao groaned. "You broke a soul bond – even a false one – with a blade?" she demanded, her disbelief and disgust obvious. "What are you, a moron?"

Growling, he rose smoothly to his feet. "That woman had her fingers twined inside my very essence, touching places that were never meant for her! It was like some sort of foul pestilence, and I wanted nothing more than to be rid of it!" Drawing a deep breath he subsided a little, struggling for calm. "If the only price I pay is to bear this scar, then I consider myself the better for my expedience."

"Backlash?" Misao asked, wincing in sympathy. Magical backlash could leave wounds that hurt like acid until they healed. He nodded. "Well... there are better ways to break both bonds and spells," and she shot him a scolding, sidelong glance, "but a guess I should thank you. Kaoru was going to marry him, and then very suddenly called it off. Now that I know... I suspect that had something to do with your actions."

Folding his arms across his chest, he gave a curt nod. "You're welcome. If your questions are answered, perhaps you would release me?"

Shocked, Misao stared and then began to stutter her confusion. "But... but... what about Kaoru? Don't you want to repair the bond?"

The unreadable look was back in his eyes, but he shook his head. "We both appear to be fine as we are, and I have no great trust for humans."

"Things are _not_ fine!" Fingers gesturing rapidly, Misao called up an image of the bond in question, and he almost flinched at the way it sang with rapid vibrations. "You may not be able to feel her pain, or she yours, but the bond wouldn't be jumping like that if you weren't _both_ unhappy."

His expression was doubtful, but now Misao could recognize some of what she'd seen in his eyes before: longing. "What do you suggest?"

Misao grinned: she was going to get her way. "That depends. Hopefully you won't mind me asking, but... what exactly are you?"

"Your people would consider me a type of incubus, although you labor under several misconceptions about my kind."

Was his voice... _pompous_? Was a sex demon getting pompous with her? _Because_ he was a sex demon? She'd have to save that to share with Kaoru after her wedding. "If you're an incubus, then – with or without a soul mate – you have a ritual you perform when you court your chosen, right?"

Those golden eyes were narrowing suspiciously again. "Yes. If completed, it forms a bond of its own." His people were sustained by the sexual energy of their partner. It was one of the reasons they were so very good in bed: the bigger the explosion, the greater the energy available, and the less danger there was that he would take too much at one time. Mating erased that danger completely.

"Perfect! Establishing your mate bond should allow the soul bond to reconnect as well. I read about it in–"

"I will not court or bond with this woman without knowing anything of her." The single statement was firm, brooking no argument.

Although she could understand the sentiment – blind dates were a bitch – Misao also couldn't help but be a bit exasperated. He was supposed to have met and mated with Kaoru, anyway! "Well then, what do _you_ suggest," she demanded, crossing her arms to mimic his pose.

Eyes distant, as if examining something only he could see, he ignored her pique. "There is an old but simple magic she can perform herself. It's a form of mirror divination. Do you know the one I mean?" His gaze was abruptly sharp and focused, snapping to her face as he asked the question. Misao nodded. "If we are meant to be bonded, I will hear her call. And then we shall see. Now, release me."

His demeanor made it clear that there would be no further discussion. So with a gesture of her hand and a puff of breath, Misao set him free... and began to plan how she could convince Kaoru to cast the divination spell.


	2. Of Bonds and Completion

Kaoru had the first dream after Misao coaxed her into trying mirror divination. They'd decided to use the old pier glass that hung on the inside of her closet door, and had sat side by side in the pitch black to stare into its depths. The idea was to catch a glimpse of what their future husbands might look like. Kaoru had protested: exactly how was she supposed to see anything in the mirror, when she couldn't see her hand in front of her face? Unfortunately, Misao was both louder and more persistent: they were going to stare into the mirror until one of them saw something.

After about half an hour, Kaoru was seriously considering faking it. Her legs were starting to protest her kneeling position, and the closet was getting stuffy. So she was surprised, after shifting uncomfortably, to spot a pair of eyes – fierce and golden and glowing – watching her from behind the silvered glass. Of course she'd shrieked, and accused Misao of playing a prank on her. The two of them had stumbled out into the cooler, moonlit air of her room, Kaoru swearing never to let Misao talk her into anything remotely supernatural, ever again.

That night, she dreamt of those same golden eyes watching her as sword-calloused fingers, deft and masculine, played her body. Teasing hands and lips caressed breasts and belly, teaching her things she'd only ever read about, introducing her to pleasure far beyond anything she'd managed to achieve on her own... and tauntingly holding release just outside her reach. Finally, when she'd been moved to utter whimpering pleas, the fingers of her left hand were caught tightly between his, and her wrist raised to his mouth. Sharp teeth grazed her pulse point, followed by a brief, piercing pain–

–and she awoke with an exultant cry, back bowed off the bed with the force of the pleasure searing through her, wrist tingling, the image of that glowing topaz gaze burned into her mind's eye.

When her orgasm faded she collapsed back on the bed, gasping for breath, her body strangely energized despite the lingering tremors. Even odder: her hands were fisted in the bedcovers, her pajamas as neat and orderly as if she'd just put them on, her panties only just starting to dampen, now that everything was over.

She'd come untouched, from just the stimulation in her dream – and she had no idea where that had sprung from, either.

It was beyond weird.

Suspiciously, she eyed her wrist for bite marks, but the skin was pristine. Unable to otherwise explain it, she chalked the experience up to a mix of nerves and fright and the fantasizing she and Misao had engaged in regarding their 'perfect mate'.

Until she tumbled into bed that night, and straight into another dream. This time, it was his voice rather than his eyes that filled her erotic imaginings: deep and slightly rough, gentle yet demanding, with just a touch of steel. Kaoru knew it was the same man only because the touching and teasing were identical. Again he took her right to the edge and held her there, breathing heated words in her ear until she broke and begged him to send her over. Catching the fingers of her right hand he repeated the ritual of the night before, grazing her skin with his fangs before biting deep, catapulting her into awareness with the force of her climax.

And heaven help her, but the encore performance was even better than opening night.

Okay. Something beyond strange was happening. She'd never been one for erotic dreams, and now she'd had two in a row about the same fantasy man, both resulting in explosive physical reactions unlike anything she'd ever experienced.

It was time to pay Misao a visit.

The younger woman worked in a little shop that specialized in its own bizarre (and bizarrely popular) brand of the occult. Rare references (or at least the owner claimed they were rare) hobnobbed with pamphlets from local fortune tellers; athame shared a display case with chakra totems and other healing gems; herbs and incense scented the air. Kaoru generally avoided visiting during working hours, as something about the mix of influences and items always made her jittery... but this was an emergency. Or it would be, if it didn't stop.

Stomping up to the door she banged it open, overriding the bell's usual happy jangle with strident tones as she called for her friend. "Misao! Misao, get out here right now!"

A head sporting a brightly hued paisley kerchief popped into sight behind the counter. "Kaoru?"

Glaring and unmoved by Misao's confusion, Kaoru got right to the point: "What did you do?" Misao's expression remained mostly unchanged, although Kaoru thought a touch of worry might be creeping in around the edges of her eyes. "The other night, when we were trying your divination idea. What did you do? I saw eyes in that mirror and now I'm having bizarre dreams and... and... and... what did you _do_?"

Instead of answering, Misao leaned forward with her elbows on the counter and her face cupped in her hands, for all the world as if she expected Kaoru to divulge some juicy gossip about Sano and Megumi. "What kind of dreams?"

Kaoru blushed beet red and looked away, even as she shook her head. "Dreams!" she reiterated, "Disturbing ones! What difference does it make what kind?"

"Alright!" Misao crowed, startling the older girl into facing her again, "It worked!"

A second later Kaoru's hand was clenched around Misao's braid and pulling. "What worked?" she demanded, once they were nose-to-nose.

Eyes a somewhat paler blue than her own blinked back at her. "The spell of course."

Closing her eyes, Kaoru counted to ten. "What. Spell?" Perhaps it wasn't – strictly speaking – necessary to enunciate every word, but with Misao it was better to be safe than sorry.

"The one to summon your soul mate." Confronted with Kaoru's shocked and angry expression, Misao's tone was far too calm. Especially since she'd witnessed Kaoru's preferred method of taking out her frustrations, and knew it wasn't pretty. Apparently unconcerned, she tilted her head to the side consideringly, enough to be noticeable but not enough to pull against the braid Kaoru still held clenched in her fist. "Well... it's a bit more complicated than _just_ a soul mate, but that's the basic idea."

Giving up on her glare – it wasn't working anyway – Kaoru pulled back and dropped her head into her hands. "Explain to me what you mean by 'more complicated' than a soul mate," she said, voice muffled and sounding rather drained.

A small hand patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, don't worry! He'll be completely devoted to you." That remark was punctuated with a small giggle. "Or should I say, he _is_ completely devoted to you?"

"Mi- _sa_ -o!"

Somehow managing to huff like her feelings were wounded and laugh at the same time, the occult expert gave in and explained.

Kaoru was neither soothed nor impressed.

"So... first you took it upon yourself to find out if I had a soul mate. Then you scried to figure out his personal details, and then you cast a spell to call him to me."

"Technically, you cast the spell to call him to you."

"Only because my best friend is far too sneaky, and somehow figured that a demon would make the perfect husband for me!"

"Duh. He's _exactly_ what you need!"

" _What_?"

Misao counted points off on her fingers, "He's brave, he's handsome, he won't let you walk all over him, he doesn't care a fig about your inheritance, _and_ he's your soul mate!"

" _And_ he's a _demon_!"

"Oh, since he's a type of incubus, he's guaranteed to be good in bed, too," Misao added as an afterthought, completely ignoring the interjected protest.

Kaoru just stared for a moment, uncertain she could fully absorb everything Misao was telling her. "So he's a sex fiend?" This just got more unbelievable the more she learned. And Misao's laughter wasn't helping.

"I can't believe you _said_ that," the younger girl managed to get out between guffaws.

Her mirth was met by stony silence, punctuated by regular and rhythmic thumping as Kaoru banged her head on the glass counter.

"Come on, Kaoru," Misao cajoled once she got herself under control. "Remember: soul mate."

"Demon," Kaoru reiterated, never breaking rhythm.

"In the 'otherworldly' sense, not the 'fire and brimstone' sense. Besides, how is that my fault? It's your soul that picked him."

"Maybe it was confused. Let's run through the other candidates again. I need to hear their descriptions of the perfect date." That response earned her a poke in the side.

"If you're up to making jokes, you're over your shock," Misao stated matter-of-factly. "You'll get no more pity from me."

"You didn't pity me in the first place," Kaoru grumbled, but gave up wallowing in her misery as a lost cause. "Alright, tell me about this again, from the beginning."

* * *

All things considered, it could have been worse, Kaoru decided. First, there was an out: all she had to do was manage not to give in the next time he visited her dreams. If she could make it through the dream without... accepting his bite, it would void the spell Misao had cast. She also had another five chances before it would be a done deal: he had to visit her a total of seven times before he'd be able to fully manifest in the real world. She only had to resist him once. (Part of her thought that seemed unfair, while the larger part was glad it wasn't a one-shot situation on her side, too.)

Second, assuming she didn't manage to resist him, Misao was right about all the positives. Not the least of which was being free of all the vultures who were only interested in her for her fortune. The last one – Enishi – had come awfully close to breaking her heart. It had hurt to realize someone could pretend so very well that they were in love with her, without feeling a thing.

It would be nice to know that this man would never hurt her. Not emotionally, not physically. It wasn't the same thing as knowing he loved her, but it was better than uncertainty any day.

Still, her plan was to resist him, and be done with the whole thing. Dreams aside, she was a virgin. Virgins didn't crave sex. They were practically known for it. So surely she could do this. She would be Kaoru the ice queen.

When she awoke after the sixth dream, she decided she was Kaoru the weak-willed-who-has-screamed-herself-hoarse. She'd been so loud both Tae and Tsubame had come running to make sure she wasn't being murdered in her bed. Even her dream self was hoarse.

Each time he came to her seemed to be more powerful than the last, and she thought her reaction only got stronger the longer she held out before begging for release.

She was no longer certain she wanted to win this strange battle of wills. He was, quite bluntly, addicting, and every night she learned a little bit more about him, became a little more fascinated. Infatuated. She'd felt the heat of his gaze and seen the desire in his eyes. She'd heard his voice and knew the caress of his lips and tongue. That he was a swordsman was obvious, his calloused hands elegant and strong. His body, pressed to her own, was lean and well-muscled. He liked to tease and to touch and seemed infinitely patient. His hair was long, fiery crimson silk.

Kaoru had never seen him, her perceptions being honed down to a single fine detail during each encounter... but she thought she'd know him anywhere.

She was certain she'd miss him when the dreams stopped.

On the seventh night, the dream started with her blindfolded and bound to her bed with silken ties. It was just the kind of thing she'd imagined when she called him a sex fiend, and that realization almost made her laugh. Somehow, he knew of her objections, and had been subtly poking holes in every argument. Seeing as the whole point of these encounters seemed to be to make her mindless with arousal, he didn't have much of a case against her 'sex fiend' assertion.

Maybe he was going to try and convince her that was a good thing?

"Exactly." His low-voiced agreement was knowing and faintly amused, although she hadn't spoken her thoughts aloud. Calloused fingers found the spot on her stomach that he'd graced with his fangs the night before, his thumb rubbing soft circles and sending a bolt of sensation through her. All of the places he'd bitten her were excessively sensitive during these dreams, despite showing no evidence or bite marks during the day. It was almost as if she could feel that teasing touch somewhere much more private.

When he laved the same spots with his tongue, it was enough to make her cry out and arch her back.

Slowly, he worked his way up across her flat tummy to the curves of her breasts, her nipples peaked and ready when he arrived. His breath danced across her skin as he gave an appreciative hum, his mouth finding and closing around one aching point, while his fingers found the other. Kaoru moaned, her hands fisting around the silk that stretched over her palms.

"Which do you like more, love?" he asked, releasing her nipple from the warm clasp of his mouth to let his tongue flicker briefly against it. "Hard and hungry, or light and barely there?"

She tossed her head, scarcely caring how he touched her so long as he _did_. "Both!"

A soft chuckle, followed by the brush of long hair against her skin as he moved to scrape his fangs over the invisible mark on her throat. Keening, she shifted her hips restlessly, minute movements all the silk would allow her. She could feel his body heat, and knew he hovered above her, supported on his knees and forearms. Close enough to sense, but too far away to touch.

Biting her lip, Kaoru focused on not saying anything that could be construed as a plea. If she did, the dream would end and he would win, and they'd be bonded forever.

Sharp teeth tugged gently on her earlobe, before his voice came to her dark and hungry. "I like a challenge, little one."

She bristled, even as she turned her head to give him better access. "I'm not that little."

His lips trailed kisses along her jaw. "You're perfect," he assured her, neither agreeing with nor denying her assertion. His mouth closed over hers, tongue dipping inside, and she decided her height or lack thereof wasn't worth arguing over.

Breaking the kiss once they were both panting for air, he shifted to kneel between her legs, his heat and intensity suddenly that much closer, that much more arousing. His hand slid around her ankle, teasing her with the brush of his fingertips over his mark, even as he loosened the knot there so she could bend her knee. The opposite leg was given the same treatment, and then he was cupping her hips, urging her body into an arch as his mouth found her belly button, and his hair slid forward to drape over her thigh.

Kaoru flushed, knowing she was open and wet for him, the evidence of her need obvious. "Don't worry so," he told her, reaching up to brush his thumb over her cheek, "It's just me, and I like you this way." Which, if anything, made her blush deepen. He chuckled, the sound pure masculine satisfaction, and then his fingers were searching gently between her folds, strong digits bending to rub his knuckles firmly but carefully along her slit and higher, if not quite high enough to give her what she wanted. Her hips circled of their own accord, a sweet, feminine coaxing, and he dipped his head to find her clit with his tongue. This touch was different than anything he'd taught her before, soft and broad and wet, and although she couldn't draw breath to let him know how wonderful it felt, the way he groaned, playing the sound against her, told her he knew.

"Imagine how it would feel if your hands were free to tangle in my hair, showing me exactly where you need to be touched," he murmured, his tone scorching, the words punctuated by another soft drawing motion of his lips and tongue. "Or I could free your legs so you could drape them over my shoulders, your heels digging into my back harder and harder the closer you get. Would you like that? I'd twine my fingers through yours and hold on, keeping you anchored when you shattered, and preventing you from pushing me away when the first wave crested and the second crashed down. Forcing you to accept the pleasure I'll teach you to crave." Kaoru whimpered, and he rewarded her with the sudden, firm pressure of his thumb, the thrusting motion of two long fingers.

It was too much. His voice and his promises and his adroit manipulation of her body were too much. "Please!"

He didn't stop the lazy motion of his hand. "Please what?"

She didn't know. Please more? Please everything? "I need you!"

His laugh wrapped around her like velvet, soft and enveloping, and she was so very lost in its folds. "I know, sweet. What do you need me to do?"

And abruptly she knew what he wanted. "Take me," she whispered, voice trembling, "please, take me!"

He rose above her, and she felt the give in the pillows as he braced one hand beside her head. His other guided his length to her entrance, aligned their bodies. Soft strands caressed her cheek as he nuzzled her throat. "My name is Kenshin," he told her, voice hard and tight with demand. "I want to hear you screaming it when you come."

Her breath caught and her body clenched at the order, and he took that as assent. His hips moved, thrusting forward, and as with the piercing of his teeth, the breaking of her barrier transmuted into pleasure as her body surged awake. Only this time he was with her, and her cry of ecstasy formed the syllables of his name. The ties that had bound her limbs were gone, her arms and legs wrapped tight around him, clinging fiercely, a stark contrast to the gentle rocking of his hips as he continued to move against her, making her orgasm last.

There were tears in her eyes and her cheeks were damp when finally she calmed. His thumbs carefully wiped the wetness away, and she lifted her lashes to find the warm amber gaze from her memory focused on her, framed by a spill of red hair. His features were sharp and pleasing, beautiful yet male.

And he was smiling, his expression one of smug satisfaction. She frowned in realization, and he shook his head. "There was no winning or losing," he told her, his tone leaving no room for doubt or argument. "I would not be worthy of you if I couldn't convince you to choose me," bending, he brushed his lips lightly over hers, "and you would not be worthy of me if you had been easy to convince."

"So it was a test?" he nodded. "And we passed?" again he nodded, and Kaoru lapsed into silence.

Kenshin waited, but nothing more appeared to be forthcoming. "Is that all?"

Blue eyes wandered over his features as she bit her lip. "What if we change our minds?"

Impossible, but that wasn't what she needed to hear. He dipped his head to lave the mark on her throat, enjoyed the way she shivered as he did it. "We're bonded soul mates," he reminded her, "that will never change."

"But we don't know each other..."

He sighed. "I know that you've been lonely since your father died, and have been ill-used by the men you've met. I know that you are stubborn but fair. I know that you already have a soft spot for me in your heart, that is a match for the one in mine. And I know you flush pink just before you come."

"Kenshin!"

"Oh, and my idea of the perfect date is an evening spent making love to you."

Kaoru couldn't help it; the incongruity of his statement made her laugh.

"I _knew_ you would be a sex fiend."


End file.
